Scope of PCN Search Narrows

Idaho State Department of Agriculture spokesman Wayne Hoffman wrote in a situation summary today that the scope of the search for the Potato Cyst nematode in eastern Idaho has been narrowed.

In the report, Hoffman said initial investigation revealed that over 80 fields operated by nearly 30 growers provided potatoes that passed through the ISDA grader facility on the day the positive tare soil sample was collected.

Fifty-six of those fields, operated by 25 growers in seven counties, were identified as high priority for sampling. The positive field was one of them.

He says currently only three fields and one packing plant are regulated under APHIS Emergency Action Notifications. Two potato storages which were regulated in April were released from their EANs June 19.

Two of the three fields were highly suspect based on original tare soil samples analyzed in April. Hoffman says so far, all samples from those fields have beennegative for PCN. The third field was determined to be infested with PCN and will be subject to ongoing regulations which will be developed as the situation continues to be evaluated, he reported.

The single packing plant is currently prohibited from allowing sediment in the settling pond to be dumped without burial at an approved site. Upon disposal of the sediment currently in the pond, that plant will be completely deregulated.